Creative Wiltshire

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Lacock Unlocked

Creative Wiltshire is working with the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre to produce a locative media mobile app for Lacock. Last year the Centre successfully gained Heritage Lottery Funding to secure the historic Lacock estate archive: Lacock Unlocked is a three year project cataloguing and working with materials in the archive. The app will provide a further level of on the spot interpretation for Lacock visitors, encourage them to find out more from the archives and contribute to them.

The Creative Wiltshire project team includes undergraduates on the Creative Digital Media degree programme working alongside media professionals. A paid internship will be available in the second phase of the development. Creative Wiltshire will build the app on the AppFurnace platform.

The first phase of the project is now underway, identifying a selection of stories based on documents in the archive and locating them to particular places on the map. The first version of the app will provide visitors a chance to walk through the village and hear a series of soundscapes at different locations. Later phases of the project will build additional interactivity and encourage people to contribute to the archive.

The Lacock Archive dates back to the 12th century providing a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of the community,its landscape and environment over 800 years. There are more than 100 boxes of estate records including early deeds and charters, maps, letters, diaries, photographs and recipe books and naval records. Among the gems is an illuminated pardon of Sir William Sharington by Edward Vl, dated 1549.